A serial pickpocket who targeted young girls and women on buses has been jailed for a total of 23 months.

Iulian Stelica, 38, of no fixed abode, would find his victims in Redbridge, Enfield, Haringey, Waltham Forest and Newham, before slyly taking their phones from their pockets.

Officers from the Roads and Transport Policing Command, in partnership with Transport for London (TfL), launched an investigation, after a number of similar thefts.

Using CCTV from the buses they saw Stelica was carrying out the thefts on females aged between 13 and 35.

He was arrested in connection with seven of the thefts on April 8 at Luton Airport, where he was about to catch a flight to his native country Romania.

He was charged the following day and pleaded not guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and remanded in custody.

While he was in custody, officers linked Stelica to a further five offences.

He appeared at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on Friday July 3 and pleaded guilty to five of the offences and sentenced to 20 weeks imprisonment.

Later, Stelica was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday, July 15, to 18 months' imprisonment after pleading guilty to seven theft offences committed between February and March..

The sentences will be served consecutively.

Detective Superintendent Adnan Qureshi, Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: "This unscrupulous person consciously carried out these theft offences, robbing his victims of their personal possessions and leaving them in a state of worry and misery.

"I would like to ask the public to help us thwart thieves by ensuring they take personal security precautions by keeping their possessions hidden and close to them and always be aware of their surroundings.”

Steve Burton, TfL’s Director of Enforcement and On-Street Operations, said: “Our MPS Roads and Transport Policing Command colleagues have done an excellent job catching and prosecuting this prolific thief, leading to this successful sentencing.

“Crime on the bus network has fallen for the ninth year running, and all of our customers have the right to travel without fear of theft. We continue to work hard with our policing partners to rid the network of such criminals and keep bus crime at its lowest level.”